


Unseen Disaster

by DreadfulStar



Category: The Outsiders (1983), The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: Blood and Injury, Brotherly Love, Car Accidents, Character Death, Family Fluff, Flashbacks, Major Character Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:20:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26786602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreadfulStar/pseuds/DreadfulStar
Summary: Originally wrote in 2014."A burst of blood flew out of his mouth as he was jarred back around. The windshield shattered into large shrapnel that shot dangerously around inside with them. The last thing Darry saw was Two-Bit's frightened eyes look into his before a piece of glass sliced his friend's neck clean open."In short, Two-Bit and Darry get in a car accident.
Kudos: 6





	Unseen Disaster

Darry could not believe it. His truck would not start no matter how many times he tried. Due to his lack of automobile knowledge, he was out of luck and out of a way home. In all honesty, he did not want to walk home because he was too tired from today's work. The sun flickered behind orange clouds, announcing the day would soon be over. Darry sighed and put his head in his hands. He needed to get home.

At that moment a car slowly drove by that Darry caught out of the corner of his eye. Darry stood up straight and waved at the car. As he had suspected, it was Two-Bit. The car drove back around and pulled up to the curb. Two-Bit stuck his head out with a glance at the Ford.

"Hey, can I get a ride home?" Darry impatiently huffed. The teen in the car laughed at his misfortune.

"What, the truck finally quit on ya'?" Darry rolled his eyes. The older male looked over at the truck and crossed his arms, "Oh, get in."

Darry was hesitant. On one hand, he needed to get home and this was what he needed. On the other hand, he's seen the kid drive before. After he contemplated his options, he walked over to the passenger side of the car and opened the door. The moment Darry got in the seat and closed the door, Two-Bit shot off. The twenty-year-old felt around and noticed the car didn't have seatbelts. "Isn't it a law now that you have to have seatbelts?" Darry inquired.

"I think so? I don't follow the law that often anyway." The driver remarked.

Darry momentarily looked fearful but he ignored the possibilities of something going wrong. The sudden, jerky movements of the car should have been worrisome, but somehow it managed to lull Darry into a light nap.

A scream.

Darry jumped up in his seat only to fall down into the hard leather with a loud oomph. Two-Bit had terror carved into his face, his eyes almost petrified in horror. It was him who had screamed. Darry frantically scurried around.

"Wh-what happened?" Darry said. He watched the eighteen-year-old pump the breaks to no avail. It did not take any words for Darry to realize what was wrong, "Oh...no...No! Should we jump out or somethin'?"

Two-Bit struggled for words before shaking his head, "No, listen. If anyone jumps out at this speed and at the angle of the hill we are going down, they'd break their neck trying to escape or die trying. To make it worse, I can't keep this going straight!" As if prove the statement the car suddenly swerved to the right, nearly missing a street lamp. "You might end up going under the back tires!"

Darry was as still as a statue. "Then-"

The car hit a sinkhole and went sideways. The vehicle hit a street lamp and started rolling. In the inside of the car, the two boys were tossed about. Darry's head slammed into the window, causing it to finally shatter. The shards pierced into the older boy's neck and shoulder, some nipping his jaw. Two-Bit was even worse. The steering wheel crushed him again, snapping a few more ribs. A burst of blood flew out of his mouth as he was jarred back around. The windshield shattered into large shrapnel that shot dangerously around inside with them. The last thing Darry saw was Two-Bit's frightened eyes look into his before a piece of glass sliced his friend's neck clean open.

He spiraled into a world of memories. Things started off with his mom and dad, small things like his eighth birthday, his dad pestering him on his first date, and then memories morphed into more Ponyboy and Sodapop centric.

_ A curious child wandered up to his mother, eager to peak at what she was holding. Something was different about her, maybe it was that her belly seemed to have shrank suddenly. The four-year-old hopped up hoping to catch a glimpse. His parents laughed and his father crouched down. _

_ 'This is your new brother, Sodapop Curtis. Make sure you protect him and be nice to him. And one day I hope you get along perfectly. You wanna see him?' His father smiled. Darry furrowed his eyebrows, not really understanding what was happening. His mother repositioned the bundle in her arms before slowly sinking down. _

_ Inside her arms was a red-faced baby swaddled in a baby blue blanket. _

_ 'It's ugly,' Darry bluntly said. His mother just giggled. _

_ 'Darrel! Maybe for now he is, but one day I'm sure he'll look a lot better. And you know, you looked like this too, once.' His mother stated. Darry looked offended. _

The picture faded out to a blank slate. That was the day Darry became not only a brother, but an older brother who's job it was to protect his sibling. The slate started to morph into another memory.

_ Darry held his brother, Soda, while he waited for his parents to come in. They had rushed off earlier that day, only telling Darry to watch Soda and that soon he'll have another sibling. _

_Mrs Mathews came over to watch him. Every so often she would take Soda away from Darry. She said he was too_ _young to be taking care of him at the moment, but he said otherwise. He did not like her taking him away because when she walked away he had the fear she would not come back with his brother; what if he never saw him again?_

_ The older lady just chuckles at the annoyed look on the boy's face. _

_ 'Don't worry, I have a little boy of my own! I know how to take care of him.' Mrs Mathews told him. _

_ About ten minutes later, Mr Curtis guided his wife through the doors. His face was dead serious as he lead her through the house. _

_ Darrel cocked his head and looked up at Mrs Mathews, who took him into the other room, away from his parents. From what he could tell, it seemed his mother was sick or something similar. He heard his father call for his babysitter. She turned and handed Soda off to his brother before she darted off. _

_ After a few minutes, the lady came back with another bundle, like Soda when they brought him home. She beckoned Darry forward. 'Your mommy is sick right now, but you can see the baby.' _

_ Expecting the same thing as last time, he was not as excited. The baby stirred and looked up at Darry, bursting into tears. The oldest boy jumped backwards. Soda started crying as well. Mrs Mathews started to soothe the baby while Darry calmed Soda down. Walking forward slowly again, Darry turned Soda around to let him see the baby. Even if the child he held was only two and he was young himself, he had enough sense to know this was an important moment and he should let Soda see. _

_ 'This is...um?' Darry spoke up. _

_ Mrs Mathews sighed, 'Ponyboy.' _

_ Darry was silent for a moment, 'Weird names.' He would have said more but he was transfixed on watching his brothers stare at each other silently. 'Pony' had stopped crying and had his bright eyes locked on Soda's. _

That day, Darry had witnessed what would become an almost inseparable brotherhood begin.

_ Darry tugged his brother forward. It was Pony's first day of school. Soda hopped around the two, excited that the last brother would join him in school. _

_ 'Is school fun?' a soft voice piped up. _

_ Darry paused and gave him a kind smile, 'If you spend your time right. Play sports and make friends. But school is usually fun. ' _

_ Soda shrivelled his nose and shook his head. _

_ 'He says it's not fun! Are you lying? I'm telling mom!' Pony started to turn around but Darry had his hand around his arm, preventing him. _

_ 'Bye boys!' Their mother waved from the doorway. In the sunlight she looked like a goddess. _

_ A chorus of goodbye echoed. Pony looked sad, 'School isn't fun...' _

_ Darry sighed, 'Come on, believe me. Who do you trust, me or Soda?' They walked for a moment until there was an answer. _

_ 'Soda' _

Pause. That had been the first time Pony hurt Darry's feelings. Darry had ignored it, deciding he must have deserved it.

_ Darry stood back and watched his littlest brother. He was trying to teach him how to throw a football, which Pony was failing at. The child held the ball wrong once again, which caused an impatient twelve-year-old to walk forward and take it out of his hands. _

_ 'Now look. You have to hold it like this,' Darry demonstrated. He tapped his fingers on the side of the ball before handing it over. Their mom laughed and watched the two boys out in the lawn, 'And to throw, you have to move just right!' _

_ Pony watched his oldest brother before smiling excitedly. The moment Darry turned around to walk to the other side of the yard, a ball made contact with the back of his head. Laughter erupted from the youngest child. Darry huffed. _

_ 'Yeah, yeah... good throw.' _

The world was blank for a second. Then another memory arose as if a new movie reel was in place. His mind pushed play.

_ Darry had just turned sixteen. His parents smiled and his father patted him on the shoulder. _

_ 'Well, I guess you can drive the car to school now. Drive your brothers too.' _

_ Darry nodded, slightly annoyed. What, it was his time to drive and he was already a chauffeur! Darry didn't let his emotions show. _

_ Of course, in came Soda with his talking shadow. The preteen excitedly wished his brother happy birthday. As if it was a signal, Soda nodded to Pony, who then darted off. The eager ten-year old came back holding a box. It was a present. _

_ Darry looked confused as well as his parents. Pony held it out. Darry glanced between Soda and Pony before taking it. He set it down gingerly, smiling at his brothers. _

_ Finally his father grinned and motioned for Darry to follow him outside. Soda started giggling, so Darry suspected something was up. _

_ 'Here, I bought you your very own car!" His father smirked. Darry looked around expectantly. Finally, Soda handed him a model car. Pony was laughing at the look on Darry's face. _

_ 'Nice, thanks guys. Dad,' Darry laughed, 'I should've saw that coming, knowing you.' _

The clip stopped. When looked back on, Darry still had that model car. The next scene was a bit sluggish. His mind took a while to process another. It was if he was starting to d-

_ Darry was a legal adult now. Soda was struggling in his first year of high school, and Pony had started Junior High. He only had a few more months then he was out of school for good. Then, with his scholarship he'd be able to go to college. College sounded pretty good. He wondered often what he would take in college. Algebra was easy to him, so something math related would be great, plus that'd look wonderful on a job resumé. He had to be realistic after all, he wasn't going to be a professional football player. Well, he could but it's best to have a backup. It's always smart to have a backup. _

_ But when thought over, college costs a lot of money. The scholarship guaranteed him to get into the college but it didn't pay for his books or other expenses. Where would they get the money? _

_ It was a bit disheartening to start thinking about the issue of money. When thought was put to it, college was more of a faraway dream than reality. But he wouldn't let that get him down, he had to go to college. He had a future after all. _

_ Right? _

Oh. He didn't go to college. Even if his parents were alive he wouldn't have gone. Death along with it just made the truth hurt more.

_ Darry, now twenty, sat alone in the living room. The only sound was the monotone tick of the clock. It droned on as he waited. His parents had gone out earlier that day. The fact they hadn't returned yet worried him but he smothered the worry with his hope. Why would they not come home? Ran into friends? Forgot to call? Car trouble? _

_ He reluctantly glanced back at the clock. It was past midnight. He almost drifted off to sleep when a loud knock echoed through the room. Why would they knock? The door was always unlocked... _

_ The knock rang out again. Darry inched towards the door, fear weighing down his footsteps. He opened the door and peered into the person behind it. A suited man with a grim expression. A policeman behind him. No...please no _

_ 'Is this the Curtis residence?' The grim man spoke. Darry nodded. 'Are you the oldest one here?' Another nod. _

_ The policeman stepped forwards, 'Your parents may have been in an accident. Neither survived. My condolences but we need you to verify that the bodies are indeed them.' _

_ Why would they need to be identified? 'What happened?' _

_ 'Car accident.' _

A fatal car accident... Just like the one he was just in. But he can't die now! Pony and Soda need him. They've needed him since that very day. Darry was strong, and stubborn enough not to let death take him alive.

He choked on blood as he gasped for breath. Reality slowly clawed back into his mind as he woke up. The first thing to hit him was the excruciating pain. This wasn't just a broken leg kind of pain, he felt torn apart. He couldn't take in a breath without pain or blood stopping him. He didn't think he could even get out. His legs were pinned underneath the heavy dash that had fell on him. Sticky blood soaked his entire body, half of him fearing most of it it wasn't his own. On that thought, he couldn't help fear for Two-Bit but he knew he was gone. Far to the left of him he knew a mangled body of his friend remained but the life inside was long departed.

He felt a coldness spreading up through him and a light feeling overwhelming him. Coherency was fading in and out. His mind was empty and his body was heavy and limp. In a silent moment he laid there at a crooked angle taking in the sound of his blood pumping in his ears.  _ Soda... Pony...  _ He groaned and tried to move. It shot jolts of pain up his spine. Bad idea.  _ Bad idea or not I need to get out. I need to live. Soda's not old enough to take custody of Pony.  _ He pushed the dash away. It wouldn't budge. He resorted to pulling himself out, tearing his legs up in the process. Jagged edges of metal from the door cut grooves all over his side. He hissed in pain as a disconnected pop came from his lower back and an eerie numbness enveloped him from the point down. Numbness isn't the correct term to use for it, emptiness, it was nothing. He couldn't feel anything. 

_ Well at least a little bit of pain was gone. _

Darry sucked in a ragged breath and pulled himself out through the window. Remaining shards of glass digging into his flesh like persistent little demons. After a struggle he emerged from the car door, coughing and sputtering. He fell limply to the pavement. Though, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't muster enough energy to move any more. Hope was fluttering out of his reach until it eventually faded away completely. Who was he kidding? Darry wasn't going to survive this. It's a miracle he lived this long. Soda and Pony, well, he would not be able to be there for them, despite how much he hated that idea. He tried his best...

His breathing became slow and soft, no longer shallow and sharp. The sky became darker above him. No more than a minute passed by until his chest fell and did not rise again. Icy blue-green eyes were frozen, still cast up at the dying stars, half lidded and void of life. The body remained there for several hours, next to a malicious act of fate that held another body inside. Cold and forgotten on the side of a rode were the two boys that two separate families stayed up waiting for. In one house a single mother had paced uneasily until she fell asleep next to her daughter of whom had stayed up with her. In the other house two brothers clung to each other in fear, certain a familiar fate had taken another member of their family. Neither families would admit what might have happened, they only hoped their darkest fears were just an unimaginable dream. They held onto a fantasy they were alive and would return home.

Though fantasies are shattered easily.

It wasn't until two teens were headed to work that the mangled car was discovered. They got out of their vehicle and slowly approached it, examining the bloodstained windshield from afar and oblivious to the fact one of the people they were looking for rested just on the other side out of view. Realisation hit them hard as soon as the younger of the pair spoke up, "Steve, that's Two-Bit's car."

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first The Outsiders fanfiction. I had been in 8th grade at the time, so I apologize for the middle school quality of writing.
> 
> The original author note I had was as follows: This is my first Outsiders fanfiction which was based on a dream I had including these two characters. Warning: Blood and sadness, plus possible spelling errors I haven't caught yet. Sorry, it's kind of short.
> 
> Ah, the nostalgia.


End file.
